American Scientist

American Scientist, often referred to as AmSci, is a bimonthly magazine that covers science and technology topics. It has been published since 1913 by Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society. Each edition typically features four to five in-depth articles authored by leading scientists and engineers, who provide insights into various research areas, ranging from molecular biology to computer engineering.

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National Park Week is April 19-27

1 week ago | americanscientist.org | Jaime Herndon

Wallace Stegner once called our national parks “America’s best idea,” and he was right about that. Our public lands (which include national parks, forests, wildlife refuges, monuments, and lands that are managed by the Bureau of Land Management) are important for wildlife, cultural preservation, recreation, and so much more. In 2024, the National Park Service reported a record high of visitors: 331.9 million, an increase of two percent from 2023.
Third Base

Jan 23, 2025 | americanscientist.org | Brian Hayes

November-December 2001 Volume 89, Number 6 This column was published in the November–December 2001 issue of American Scientist. For an illustrated version, please download an alternative format. People count by tens and machines count by twos—that pretty much sums up the way we do arithmetic on this planet. But there are countless other ways to count. Here I want to offer three cheers for base 3, the ternary system.
Books About Space That Are Out of this World

Nov 12, 2024 | americanscientist.org | Jaime Herndon

As a child, I wanted to go to Space Camp. Maybe it had to do with the 1986 movie of the same name, or perhaps it was from reading and hearing about Christa McAuliffe, and then watching the Challenger disaster unfold on live television. I don't know how, but a full-color, multipage booklet about Space Camp and Aviation Challenge arrived in the mail, and I would read it every day.
Some Assembly Required: A Bold New Vision of Life

Oct 23, 2024 | americanscientist.org | Michael Wong

LIFE AS NO ONE KNOWS IT: The Physics of Life’s Emergence. Sara Imari Walker. 272 pp. Riverhead Books, 2024. $29.00. If you’ve ever yearned for a fresh take on the age-old questions “Are we alone?” and “Where did we come from?” then look no further than Sara Imari Walker’s new book, Life as No One Knows It: The Physics of Life’s Emergence.
Earth 2.0 Could Be Just Around the Corner

Apr 2, 2024 | americanscientist.org | Michael Wong

May-June 2024 Volume 112, Number 3 ALIEN EARTHS: The New Science of Planet Hunting in the Cosmos. Lisa Kaltenegger. 288 pp. St. Martin’s Press, 2024. $30.00. We stand at the doorstep of a scientific revolution: The discovery of extraterrestrial worlds that resemble our own could be just around the corner. For more than a decade, we have known that planets that are roughly the mass and radius of Earth orbit other stars.
Baby Shark Sighting Misrepresented in Media Coverage

Mar 13, 2024 | americanscientist.org | David Shiffman

It was the baby shark seen around the world. You may have seen some recent news coverage about the photograph taken using a drone. CNN called the sighting “the holy grail of shark science.” Newsweek called it “the world’s first sighting of a baby great white shark.” USA Today claimed that it shows a “great white shark giving birth caught on video.” With headlines like these, the study is on track to be the most-discussed shark research paper of the year.
Breeding Better Enzymes

Nov 27, 2023 | americanscientist.org | Fenella Saunders

January-February 2024 Volume 112, Number 1 Frances Arnold received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2018 for pioneering directed evolution methods to make enzymes for applications in sustainable chemistry across medicine, consumer products, agriculture, fuels, and chemical production. She is the Linus Pauling Professor of Chemical Engineering, Bioengineering, and Biochemistry at the California Institute of Technology.
How Herman Hollerith Counted America and the World

Oct 4, 2023 | americanscientist.org | Ainissa Ramirez

November-December 2023 Volume 111, Number 6 In 1879, 19-year-old Herman Hollerith aimed to make a name for himself and wash off the stain of New York City poverty. His father had died when he was about 10. The tragedy not only shook his family to the core, but it also forced them to leave the comfort of their tight-knit enclave of German relatives in Buffalo, New York. It was there that his mother began making one-of-a-kind bonnets for sophisticated ladies.
Fall STEM Reads of 2023

Aug 28, 2023 | americanscientist.org | Jaime Herndon

It’s September, which means that once again, it’s time for Instagram’s #ScienceSeptember. This reading challenge was started by Lauren Weinhold (@end.notes), and focuses on scientific nonfiction during the month of September. By following the hashtag, you can find fellow readers who love science and see plenty of great science bookstacks with lots of great titles to add to your science to-read pile.
Henry Petroski, 1942-2023

Aug 15, 2023 | americanscientist.org | Fenella Saunders

September-October 2023 Volume 111, Number 5 Our esteemed colleague and the longtime author of the Engineering column, Henry Petroski, passed away on June 14, 2023, at 81 years old. Henry wrote almost 200 articles for the Engineering column, having authored it in every issue since January–February 1991. I’ve had the honor of editing Henry’s columns since 2013.